Cylinder lock



Fatented July 2, I946 UNITEQ STATES FATENT OFFICE 12 Claims.

.This invention relates to multiple tumbler cyl= lnder locks, the objectbeing a construction which permits cylinders of the same pattern andlooking units which are identical to be produced in large quantities andassembled with minimum labor, the locking units comprising a pluralityof integral springs and tumblers that can cheaply made and quicklyapplied at random to the cylinders and the tumblers easily adjustedaccording to the contours of the bits of the indi vidual keys intendedfor the different locks after the locking units have been applied to thecylinders.

Having the tumblers and springs formed as integral units not onlyreduces to a minimum the number of separate elements and the cost oftheir manufacture, but also res"- ts in the saw ing of much time andlabor over that required to select and assemble the correct individualsprings and tumblers which will register with the different keys, as isthe case with the common cylinder locks, and furthermore the unitaryconstruction eliminates all liability of the tumblers and springsdropping from the cylinders while handled or during transportation, andthe possibility of their misadjustment when replaced.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a longitudinal section of alock that embodies the invention before its key has been inserted andwith the tumblers in such positions that the cyl inder cannot be turned.

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the positions of the tumblers with akey inserted and the cy1-- inder free to be turned for throwing thelocking bolt or latch operating member.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the lock on the plane indicated by thedotted line 3-3 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the lock on the plane indicated by thedotted line ll on Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 shows a blank from which the tumblers and springs may be shaped.

Fig. 6 is an edge View and Fig. l a front view of the blank after it hasbeen bent into operative shape.

Fig. 8 is an edge View and Fig. 9 a front view of a modified shape oftumbler unit.

Fig. 10 shows a blank from which a modified tumbler unit may be shaped.

Fig. 11 is a section of a lock showing a difierent way of applying thetumbler unit to the cylinder.

Fig. 12 is an edge view and Fig. 13 is a front View of the tumbler unitshown in Fig. 11, and Fig. 14 shows a blank from which this unit may beshaped.

Fig. 15 is a longitudinal section of a lock with the tumbler unitarranged to engage a dogging bar.

Fig. 16 is a similar View with a key inserted.

Fig. 17 is a transverse section on the dotted 5 line I'l-l'i on Fig. 15.

Fig. 18 is a similar view with the key inserted.

Fig. 19 is a plan of the blank from which the unitary member may beformed.

Fig. 2.0 is an edge view, Fig. 21 is a front View 10 and Fig. 22 is aplan View of this blank folded to operative shape,

Fig. 23 is a section on the dotted line 23-23 of Fig. illustrating themanner in which the tumblers may be cupped to facilitate insertion 15 ofthe key.

Fig. 24 shows a further modified form of blank.

Fig. 25 is an edge View, and Fig. 26 is a front View of the lastmentioned blank folded to operative shape. .0

The barrel l of the lock is formed of the usual material and of normalsize. The interior wall of the barrel is provided with recesses,preferably slots 2 which may extend from end to end of the barrel. Thecylinder 3 is shaped and sized to have a rotatable fit within the boreof the barrel. The cylinder has the usual longitudinal key slot t whichmay extend from end to end and at its rear the cylinder may be providedwith a locking bolt or latch operating member 5. The cylinder firstshown has two longitudinal slots 6 that extend in slightly curved planessubstantially diametrical with relation to the key slot, and also in oneside a recess l, these slotsand the recess communicating with the keyslot.

The tumbler unit has a plurality of upper locking tongues 8, lowerlocking tongues 9, and springs It. This unit may be bent from a strip ofsheet metal which has notches l l at its upper edge that will separatethe upper locking tongues 8, and has an integral section 52 at its loweredge which will unite the lower ends of the springs IS. The blank mayhave slits l3 to sep-- arate the lower ends of the lower locking tonguesfrom the springs, also slits It to separate one tumbler from theadjacent tumbler except at the lower edge of the unit, as illustrated inFig. 5. This blank is bent on the sections 15 so that the lower lockingtongues will be slightly back of the upper locking tongues and thesprings will eX- tend backward from approximately the junction of theupper-and lower locking tongues and curve downward toward the back ofthe lower locking tongues. Fig. 6.

The modified tumbler unit shown in Fig. 8

is practically the same as the unit shown in Fig. 6, the differencebeing mainly in the way of slitting and bending the blank. The blank forthe unit previously described has slits it which extend upward from nearthe lower edge of the blank for separating the lower tumbler Q from thesprings ll Fig. 5, whereas the blank for the modified unit has slits itout down from the upper edge of the blank so as to separate the lowertumblers from the upper tumblers, Fig. 10. In the latter case the lowertumblers are folded down and the springs remain full wi th. To increasethe resilience of these springs notches it may be cut from their edges.In both cases each tumbler and its spring is disconnected from the otherexcept at the lower ends of the springs.

The springs of the tumbler units of the forms described are sprung outand the units are slipped down upon the cylinders so that the upper:tongues will extend upward from the key slots and the lower tongues willextend downward adjacent to the key slots, the springs will extend intothe recesses l and clasp about the curved inner walls thereof. Lugs lsbe formed on the inner walls of the recesses so as to enter the spacesbetween the springs for assisting in holding the units in pace. Figs. 3and 4.

Instead of spri ging the tumbler units tran versely onto the cylindersthey may he slipped longitudinally into the cylinders. In case the slot25 for the key, the slots 25 for the upper and lower tumblers 22, andthe recess for the clasping spring may be extended through the rear endof the cylinder and the unit inserted from that end so as to occupy theposition shown in Fig. 11. The tumbler unit may have the shape of eitherof the previously described units, it is preferred however that the unithave an additional tongue 25 extending substantially at right angles tothe upper and lower tumbl r tongues. Fig. 12. This tongue may beobtained by bending forward the sections '35 at the upper edge or" the Islitted blank. Fig. 14. The cylinder may have longitudinal slot 2 5 forthe reception of the end of this transverse tongue, and also a shoulderii at the bend of the spring. With this arrange ment the tongue andspring will co-act in their effect on the tumblers. A space is providedin the cylinder above the ton ue and spring to permit them to yield whena key is inserted in the key slot.

Many tumbler blanks of the style chosen may be made all of the samesize, that is, with the upper tumbler tongues the same length and withthe lower tumbler tongues the same length, but somewhat in excess or"their ultimate lengths. When these are first snapped onto or insertedinto the cylinders the ends of the tumblers will project beyond theperiphery of the cylinders. The key that is to be used with a lock isinserted and its bits engaging with the shoulders adjacent to the bendsat the junction of the upper lower tongues and springs will position theseveral tumblers with relation to that particular key, the springsyielding to allow this. The ends of the tumblers that project beyond theperiphery of the cylinder are then out oil? flush with the surface ofthe cylinder so that the cylinder is free to be turned by the key. Whenthere is no key in the cylinder and the tumblers are trimmed, thesprings cause the ends of the lower tumblers to project into the lowerlocking slot in the barrel and prevent the cylinder from turnin If animproper key is inserted the bits of that may fail to lift some of thelower tumblers from the lower slot, or may raise some of the uppertumblers into the upper slot in the barrel and thus prevent the cylinderfrom being turned.

The cylinders and these unitary tumblers may be assembled in quantitiesand the tumblers of each lock registered with the key designed for thatlook by merely inserting the key and clipping off the ends of thetumblers. All of the required tumblers are quic ly attached to a look atone operation in very simple manner.

The integral tumbler and spring member may with slight alteration beemployed to engage a dogging car for locking the cylinder instead ofdepending upon the direct engagement of the tumbler tongues with thebarrel for locking the cylinder as previously described. In thismodification there is a dogging bar 253 movable in a slot in thecylinder St, and springs iii are arranged in the barrel 532 so as totend to press the dogging bar out of the slot 33 in the barrel and intothe cylinder. Figs. 17,-18.

blank from which the tumbler unit illustrated in l5 and 16 is shaped, isslitted angularly to the spring section. 35 so that th tumblers 35 willextend obliquely from that section (F 3.9) and consequently haveconsiderable ilexi'b' The spring section 36, to which the tumblers areintegrally united, is curved allowing iu to he sprung onto acurved wallof the cylinder for holding the tumbler unit in place. The free ends ofthe tumblers are bent downwardly, as on the lines Fig. 19, to :iormleaves Bl the for ward edges of which may be notched for receivthe edgeof the dogging bar. The tongues are also slitted on the lines 35 andthese portions.

when the blank is bent to shape are designed to form ringers thatproject upwardly from the tongues. The tumbler tongues may be slightlyindented to provide convex surfaces til on their under sides along whicha key when inserted will easily slide. The unit thus formed is insertedsidewise into the opening li in the cylinder so that the forward edgesof he leaves 3? will bear against the inner edge or the dogging bar.When this position the member clasps against the wall of the cylinderand a bar or pin 63 is placed back of the fingers lit to retain the unitplace.

After a unit has been located in the cylinder the key to be used withthat lock is inserted and the tumblers lifted according to the outlineof the hits of the key. Lhen a tool is run in through the slot which isto be occupied by the dogging bar and the notches d3 cut in the of theturnblers. Thus the notches of the leaves of the turnblers will be inalignment when the proper key is inserted and the dogging bar will befree to be pressed inward by the springs in the barrel so as to unlockthe cylinder and allow it to be turned by the key. When an improper keyis inserted the tumblers will be positioned that the notches in theforward edges or the leaves will be out of alignment and then thedogging bar can not be pressed in so as to release the cylinder.

Instead. of cutting the tumbler tongues obliquely from the springsection as shown in Fig. 19 they may be out perpendicular with relationto the spring section as as shown in Fig. 24. These tongues may then befolded on the lines 55 and again on the lines 36 so as to provide theleaves All at the ends of the spring sections as shown in Figs. 24 and25. In this case, as thatabove described, the unit is snapped sidewiseinto the opening in the cylinder and the leaves notched for the properkey as mentioned.

In all of the forms described the springs and tumblers are integrallyconnected and form for each lock a single unit which is first sprunginto place and then adjusted to the key selected for the particularlock.

The invention winch involves the conception of a unitary spring andtumbler member adapted to be sprung into place in a lock is not limitedto the specific details illustrated, but includes other forms that comewithin the terms of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, and a unitary locking member applied to the cylinder, saidmember consisting of a plurality of locking tongues of varying lengthsmovable radially in the cylinder into and out of openings in the barrel,and springs for normally controlling the positions of the tongues, allof said springs being integrally connected with each other and with thetongues.

2. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder ro-tatably fitted inthe barrel, and a unitary locking member applied to the cylinder, saidmember consisting of a plurality of upper locking tongues and pluralityof lower locking tongues of varying lengths movable radially in thecylinder into and out of openings in the barrel, and springs fornormally controlling the positions of said tongues, all of said springsbeing integrally connected with each other and with the tongues.

3. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, and a unitary locking member applied to the cylinder, saidmember consisting of a plurality of locking tongues and springs fornormally controlling the positions of the tongues, said springs beingintegrally connected with each other and with the tongues and curvedabout a portion of the cylinder and clasping the locking member inplace.

4. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, and a unitary locking member inserted within the cylinderand extending longitudinally therein, said member consisting of aplurality of locking tongues of varying lengths and springs for normallycontrolling the positions of the tongues, all of said springs beingintegrally connected With each other and with the tongues.

5. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel,.a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, and a unitary locking member applied to and rotatable withthe cylinder, said member consisting of a plurality of radially movablelocking tongues of varying lengths and springs for normally controllingthe positions of the tongues, one end of each spring being integrallyconnected with a tongue and the other ends of all of the springs beingintegrally joined to each other.

6. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, a plurality of tumblers radially movable in and rotatablewith the cylinder, a spring integrally connected with each tumbler andnormally retaining it in engagement with the barrel, and meansintegrally connecting all of the springs with each other.

7. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, a unitary member applied to the cylinder, said memberconsisting of a plurality of tumblers and integrally connected springsfor controlling the positions of said tumblers, and a dogging barcarried by the cylinder and normally retained by said tumblers inengagement with the barrel.

3. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatably fitted inthe barrel, a unitary member applied to the cylinder, said memberconsisting of a plurality of tumblers with camshaped free ends andintegrally connected springs for controlling the positions of saidtumblers, and a dogging bar carried by the cylinder and normallyretained by the cam-shaped ends of said tumblers in engagement with thebarreL- 9. A cylinder lock comprising a barrel, a cylinder rotatablyfitted in the barrel and a unitary member clasped upon the cylinder,said member comprising radially movable tumblers and curved spring meansintegrally connecting all of the tumblers for controlling the positionsof the tumblers and also for clasping the member on to the cylinder.

10. Locking means in combination with the barrel and cylinder of acylinder lock, which means comprises a plurality of tumblers, a springintegrally joined to each tumbler, and means integrally connecting allof the springs to each other whereby the tumblers and springs are anintegral unit.

11. The combination with the barrel and cylinder of a cylinder lock oflocking means, which comprises a curved spring section shaped to claspand turn with the cylinder, and a plurality of spaced apart tumblersintegrally joined to and extending angularly from said spring section,said tumblers having their free ends angularly folded and provided withnotches in varying positions.

12. Locking means adapted for a lock, which comprises a plurality ofspaced apart tumblers, a spring extending from and integrally joined to'each tumbler, and means integrally connecting

